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Networking · head to head

OPNsense vs TunnelBear

OPNsense logo

OPNsense

Networking

FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform with weekly updates and a full configuration API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
T

TunnelBear

Cybersecurity

Consumer VPN with a limited free tier and a bear-themed, beginner-friendly app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: OPNsense throughput depends entirely on hardware you selected yourself, and intrusion prevention at multi-gigabit rates will saturate a machine that handled plain firewalling fine, with no vendor sizing commitment to fall back on.; TunnelBear free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
  • They diverge on capability: OPNsense covers Stateful firewall on pf, TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OPNsense and TunnelBear actually diverge.

Attributes where OPNsense and TunnelBear differ
AttributeOPNsenseTunnelBear
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
Platformsx86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardwarewindows, mac, linux, ios, android
CategoryNetworkingCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in OPNsense

  • Stateful firewall on pf
  • VPN suite
  • Suricata IDS and IPS
  • Full configuration API
  • High availability
  • Weekly update cadence

Only in TunnelBear

  • Encrypted VPN tunnel
  • Server location switching
  • GhostBear obfuscation
  • Browser extensions
  • Teams account management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

OPNsense

  • Replacing a small business firewall appliance whose renewal quote exceeded the cost of the hardwarenot TunnelBear
  • Branch offices where the firewall configuration must be produced by Ansible rather than by handnot TunnelBear
  • Sites that need WireGuard and intrusion prevention on the same box without separate feature licencesnot TunnelBear
  • A homelab or lab network needing VLAN routing, multi-WAN and DNS filtering on one machinenot TunnelBear

TunnelBear

  • Casual browsing protection on public Wi-Finot OPNsense
  • Occasional geo-unblocking with a light free allowancenot OPNsense
  • Bypassing network-level VPN blocking via obfuscationnot OPNsense
  • Managing VPN access for a small team with centralized billingnot OPNsense

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

OPNsense

  • Throughput depends entirely on hardware you selected yourself, and intrusion prevention at multi-gigabit rates will saturate a machine that handled plain firewalling fine, with no vendor sizing commitment to fall back on.
  • The weekly update cadence is good for security but means more change events than a team used to annual appliance firmware, and occasional regressions reach production installations.
  • FreeBSD underneath limits driver support compared with Linux, so recent network cards and some virtualisation drivers can be unsupported or slow.
  • The plugin ecosystem is uneven in quality; some plugins are maintained by a single contributor and can lag a major release, breaking a function you depended on.
  • Community support is a forum, so an outage at two in the morning on the free edition is your problem alone unless you bought the business subscription in advance.

TunnelBear

  • Free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
  • Lacks advanced features like dedicated IP addresses or split-tunneling controls found in some rival VPNs.
  • Server network is smaller than large competitors like NordVPN or ExpressVPN.
  • No standalone router-level app, limiting whole-network protection options.

Pricing, plan by plan

OPNsense

Free
  • OPNsense Community EditionFree
    • MIT licence with no feature restrictions
    • All VPN, IDS and HA features included
    • Weekly updates and two major releases a year
  • OPNsense Business Edition$undefined/year
    • Stabilised update track lagging community releases
    • Commercial support from Deciso
    • Additional enterprise plugins and configuration backup

TunnelBear

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2GB of data per month
    • Access to VPN servers
    • Unlimited devices
  • Unlimited$9.99/month
    • Unlimited monthly data
    • All server locations
    • Cheaper on annual/3-year billing
  • Teams$undefined/month
    • Unlimited data
    • 5 connected devices per user
    • Dedicated account manager

Which should you pick?

Choose OPNsense if

  • You need stateful firewall on pf.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on x86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardware.
  • You also want vpn suite.
OPNsense review

Choose TunnelBear if

  • You need encrypted vpn tunnel.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want server location switching.
TunnelBear review

Questions people ask

Is OPNsense or TunnelBear better?
Neither clearly leads. OPNsense starts at Free and TunnelBear at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OPNsense or TunnelBear?
OPNsense starts at Free and TunnelBear at Free.
Does OPNsense or TunnelBear run on more platforms?
OPNsense runs on x86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardware. TunnelBear runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
Can I use OPNsense for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is OPNsense best used for?
OPNsense is most often used for replacing a small business firewall appliance whose renewal quote exceeded the cost of the hardware, branch offices where the firewall configuration must be produced by ansible rather than by hand, sites that need wireguard and intrusion prevention on the same box without separate feature licences, a homelab or lab network needing vlan routing, multi-wan and dns filtering on one machine. Of those, replacing a small business firewall appliance whose renewal quote exceeded the cost of the hardware and branch offices where the firewall configuration must be produced by ansible rather than by hand are not what TunnelBear is typically brought in for.
What can OPNsense do that TunnelBear cannot?
OPNsense covers Stateful firewall on pf, VPN suite, Suricata IDS and IPS, Full configuration API. TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel, Server location switching, GhostBear obfuscation, Browser extensions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OPNsense: How is it different from pfSense?

It is a 2015 fork with an MIT licence, a fixed weekly release cadence, a complete configuration API and a different interface. Feature coverage is comparable; the release process and API are the real differences.

OPNsense: Do I need the Business Edition?

Only if you want commercial support or a slower, stabilised update stream. No features are withheld from the community edition.

OPNsense: Can it handle a gigabit internet connection?

Plain firewalling on modest current hardware, comfortably. With Suricata inspection enabled, expect to need a considerably stronger CPU.

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